What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot states that the aircraft wind screen was cleaned prior to leaving the dock to remove the condensation that had formed overnight. He taxied down river while performing engine warm up and magneto checks and all results were normal. As aircraft came on-step, the aircraft was rounding a bend which positioned the aircraft directly into the sun. As the morning was still cool, a small amount of condesation had re-formed on the wind screen during taxi and that magnified the oncoming sunlight to the point that the pilot experienced complete disorientation and lost his situational awareness. The pilot pulled the power to idle, however, he was unaware that the aircraft had drifted FAR enough to the left to allow the wingtip to come in contact with some vegetation on the river bank. This caused the aircraft to turn hard into the river bank where it came to rest with heavy damage to the floats and wings.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT STATES THAT THE AIRCRAFT WIND SCREEN WAS CLEANED PRIOR TO LEAVING THE DOCK TO REMOVE THE CONDENSATION THAT HAD FORMED OVERNIGHT. HE TAXIED DOWN RIVER WHILE PERFORMING ENGINE WARM UP AND MAGNETO CHECKS AND ALL RESULTS WERE NORMAL. AS AIRCRAFT CAME ON-STEP, THE AIRCRAFT WAS ROUNDING A BEND WHICH POSITIONED THE AIRCRAFT DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN. AS THE MORNING WAS STILL COOL, A SMALL AMOUNT OF CONDESATION HAD RE-FORMED ON THE WIND SCREEN DURING TAXI AND THAT MAGNIFIED THE ONCOMING SUNLIGHT TO THE POINT THAT THE PILOT EXPERIENCED COMPLETE DISORIENTATION AND LOST HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. THE PILOT PULLED THE POWER TO IDLE, HOWEVER, HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD DRIFTED FAR ENOUGH TO THE LEFT TO ALLOW THE WINGTIP TO COME IN CONTACT WITH SOME VEGETATION ON THE RIVER BANK. THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO TURN HARD INTO THE RIVER BANK WHERE IT CAME TO REST WITH HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE FLOATS AND WINGS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N65223 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.